Seed flow regulator

ABSTRACT

A mini-hopper for an agricultural row unit that has a fill tube supplying material to a hopper. A backflow preventer is disposed in the fill tube or in a line to the inlet to prevent flow of material from the mini-hopper through the fill tube when the mini-hopper is in a transport position.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/449,479 filed on Jan. 23, 2017 entitled: SEED FLOW REGULATOR, which is incorporated by reference herein.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to implements and application units for seed placement in a trench.

BACKGROUND

Planters are used for planting seeds of crops (e.g., corn, soybeans) in a field. Planters can have any number of desired rows. As the number of rows increases, the width of the planter increases. To allow for transportation of very wide planters, the toolbar of the planter can have sections with the outer sections constituting wings. The wings can be folded up to reduce the width of the planter.

Planters can also have mini-hoppers for storing seeds at each row on the planter. The mini-hoppers are supplied from a main hopper on the row unit with supply lines transferring seed from the main hopper to the mini-hoppers. With mini-hoppers on rows that are on the wings, when the wings are folded up, the seeds in the mini-hoppers drain out of the mini-hoppers and back into the supply lines.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present disclosure is illustrated by way of example, and not by way of limitation, in the figures of the accompanying drawings and in which:

FIG. 1 shows a side view of mini-hopper according to one embodiment.

FIG. 2 shows a side view of the mini-hopper of FIG. 1 with the fill tube cover removed or viewing the fill tube.

FIG. 3 shows a top plan view of the mini-hopper of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of the mini-hopper of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 shows a side view of the mini-hopper of FIG. 2 rotated to transport position when mounted on a wing.

FIG. 6 is a top plan view of the mini-hopper of FIG. 2 with an elastomeric sheet material disposed in the fill tube according to one embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the elastomeric sheet material of FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is an embodiment of an elastomeric member being a duckbill valve.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the fill tube from FIG. 2 and including a flap gate according to one embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a side view of the mini-hopper of FIG. 1 and further including a flexible member in the inlet line to the tube inlet according to one embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a side view of the mini-hopper of FIG. 10 with the flexible member in a flexed position closing flow.

FIGS. 12 and 13 illustrate a mini-hopper 1200 in accordance with another embodiment.

FIG. 14 illustrates a side view of an inlet tube having a backflow preventer in accordance with one embodiment.

FIG. 15 illustrates an end view of an inlet tube having a backflow preventer in accordance with one embodiment.

FIG. 16 illustrates a perspective view of a backflow preventer in accordance with one embodiment.

FIG. 17 illustrates a single row unit 1700 of a row crop planter in accordance with one embodiment.

FIG. 18 illustrates a single row unit 1800 of a row crop planter in accordance with another embodiment.

BRIEF SUMMARY

Back flow prevention of material on a mini-hopper is disclosed herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 5 is a mini-hopper 10. Mini-hopper 10 includes a hopper 20, a fill tube cover 30, a tube inlet 40, and fill tube 50. As viewed in FIG. 5, mini-hopper 10 is in a transport position. Material, such as seeds, will flow under gravity out of hopper 20 through fill tube 50 and out tube inlet 40.

Mini-hopper 10 further includes a backflow preventer 60 as illustrated in FIG. 6. In one embodiment, backflow preventer 60 is an elastomeric member 62, which can be disposed in fill tube 50. Elastomeric member 62 has a flexibility that allows elastomeric member 62 to open to allow flow into fill tube 50 to hopper 20, and elastomeric member 62 will close or collapse to prevent gravitational flow from hopper 20 through fill tube 50.

In one embodiment, elastomeric member 62 is a self-opening elastomeric valve that opens when a desired amount of pressure difference across the valve is applied. Examples of elastomeric valves include, but are not limited to, duckbill valves, dome valves, cross-slit valves, and slit valves.

In another embodiment, backflow preventer 60 can be an elastomeric sheet material 65 that can be disposed about tube inlet 40 and into fill tube 50 without attaching to fill tube 50. FIG. 6 illustrates elastomeric sheet material 65 disposed about tube inlet 40 and into fill tube 50. FIG. 7 illustrates elastomeric sheet material 65. Elastomeric sheet material 65 permits flow from tube inlet 40 into fill tube 50 to hopper 20, but elastomeric sheet material will collapse to prevent flow from fill tube 50 to tube inlet 40.

In another embodiment, backflow preventer 60 can be a flap 68, such as a flap gate illustrated in FIG. 9. Flap 68 is pivotably disposed in fill tube 50 to open when flow is from tube inlet 40 to hopper 20 and close under gravity when mini-hopper 10 is raised to the transport position.

In another embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 10 and 11, inlet line 100 with first line section 100-1 and second line section 100-2 is connected to the tube inlet 40. Disposed between first line section 100-1 and second line section 100-2 is flexible member 70. FIG. 10 illustrates flexible member 70 in an unflexed state permitting flow. FIG. 11 illustrates flexible member 70 in a flexed state blocking flow. Flexible member 70 flexes to the blocked state when mini-hopper 10 is in the transport position.

Illustrated in FIGS. 12 and 13 is a mini-hopper 1200 in accordance with another embodiment. Mini-hopper 1210 includes a hopper 1220, a fill tube cover 1230, a tube inlet 1240, and fill tube 1250. Backflow preventer 1260 can be a flap, such as a flap gate 1260 illustrated in FIGS. 14-16. The backflow preventer 1260 is pivotably disposed in tube inlet to open when flow is from tube inlet 1240 to hopper 1220 and close under gravity when mini-hopper 1210 is raised to the transport position.

FIG. 17 illustrates a single row unit 1700 of a row crop planter in accordance with one embodiment. The row units are mounted in spaced relation along the length of a transverse toolbar 1708 by a parallel linkage 1716 which permits each row unit to move vertically independently of the toolbar and the other spaced row units in order to accommodate changes in terrain or upon the row unit encountering a rock or other obstruction as the planter is drawn through the field. Each row unit includes a frame 1740 which operably supports a seed mini-hopper 10, a furrow opening assembly, a seed meter, a seed tube, and a furrow closing assembly 1740.

Mini-hopper 10 includes a hopper 20, a fill tube cover 30, a tube inlet 40, and fill tube. As viewed in FIG. 17, mini-hopper 10 is aligned horizontally with a ground surface in a working position for dispensing seed.

FIG. 18 illustrates a single row unit 1800 of a row crop planter in accordance with another embodiment. The row unit 1800 includes similar components in comparison to the row unit 1700 of FIG. 17. However, the row unit 1800 is tilted with respect to a ground surface in a transport position for transportation of the row unit. A backflow preventer as described herein prevents material, such as seeds, from flowing under gravity out of hopper 20 through fill tube 50 and out tube inlet 40.

The row unit 1800 can be tilted by any angle 1891 (e.g., 0-90 degrees) from a ground reference 1890 to a tilted direction 1892. 

1. A mini-hopper comprising: a hopper; a fill tube supplying the hopper; an inlet to the fill tube; and a backflow preventer disposed in the fill tube or in a line without attaching to the fill tube, the backflow preventer configured to permit flow from the inlet into the fill tube and to prevent flow from the fill tube to the inlet.
 2. The mini-hopper of claim 1, wherein the backflow preventer comprises an elastomeric member that opens under flow of material into the hopper and closes or collapses when material is not flowing into the hopper to prevent gravitational flow from the hopper through the fill tube.
 3. The mini-hopper of claim 1, wherein the backflow preventer comprises a self-opening elastomeric valve that opens when a desired amount of pressure difference across the valve is applied.
 4. The mini-hopper of claim 1, wherein the backflow preventer comprises an elastomeric sheet material that is disposed about the inlet and into the tube, wherein the elastomeric sheet is configured to collapse to prevent flow from the fill tube to the inlet.
 5. The mini-hopper of claim 1, wherein the backflow preventer comprises a flap that closes the fill tube when the fill tube is vertical with respect to the ground.
 6. The mini-hopper of claim 1, wherein the backflow preventer comprises a flexible member in the line to the inlet.
 7. The mini-hopper of claim 6, wherein the flexible member is designed with an unflexed state to permit flow of material into the mini-hopper.
 8. The mini-hopper of claim 6, wherein the flexible member is designed with a flexed state to block flow of material when the mini-hopper is in a transport position.
 9. A mini-hopper comprising: a hopper; a fill tube supplying the hopper; a tube inlet coupled to the fill tube; and a backflow preventer disposed in the tube inlet without attaching to the fill tube, the backflow preventer configured to permit flow from the tube inlet into the fill tube and to prevent flow from the fill tube the tube inlet.
 10. The mini-hopper of claim 9, wherein the backflow preventer is pivotably disposed in the tube inlet to open when flow is from tube inlet to the hopper with the mini-hopper being aligned horizontally with a ground surface in a working position for dispensing seed.
 11. The mini-hopper of claim 9, wherein the backflow preventer is pivotably disposed in the tube inlet to close under gravity when the mini-hopper is raised to a transport position.
 12. The mini-hopper of claim 9, wherein the backflow preventer comprises a flap that closes the tube inlet when the mini-hopper is raised to a transport position.
 13. (canceled)
 14. A row unit of a planter comprising: a frame; a hopper supported by the frame; a fill tube supplying the hopper; an inlet to the fill tube; and a backflow preventer disposed in the inlet or the fill tube without attaching to the fill tube, the backflow preventer configured to permit flow from the inlet into the fill tube and to prevent flow from the fill tube to the inlet.
 15. The row unit of claim 14, wherein the backflow preventer is pivotably disposed in the inlet to open when flow is from the inlet to the hopper with the hopper being aligned horizontally with a ground surface in a working position for dispensing seed.
 16. The row unit of claim 14, wherein the backflow preventer is pivotably disposed in the inlet to close under gravity when the hopper is raised to a transport position.
 17. The row unit of claim 14, wherein the backflow preventer comprises a flap that closes the inlet when the hopper is raised to a transport position.
 18. The row unit of claim 14, wherein the backflow preventer is disposed in the fill tube and the backflow preventer comprises an elastomeric member that opens under flow of material into the hopper and closes or collapses when material is not flowing into the hopper to prevent gravitational flow from the hopper through the fill tube.
 19. The row unit of claim 14, wherein the backflow preventer comprises a self-opening elastomeric valve that opens when a desired amount of pressure difference across the valve is applied.
 20. The row unit of claim 14, wherein the backflow preventer comprises an elastomeric sheet material that is disposed about the inlet and into the fill tube without attaching to the fill tube to permit flow from the inlet into the fill tube and collapsing to prevent flow from the fill tube to the inlet.
 21. The row unit of claim 14, wherein the backflow preventer is disposed in the fill tube and the backflow preventer comprises a flap that closes the fill tube when the fill tube is vertical with respect to the ground. 